Moving On
by Toaofwriting
Summary: After the death of their friend Taria Damsin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan find themselves at a bit of a loose end. A light-hearted tale of friendship, moving on, and mentoring.


**I don't own ****Star Wars****, although if Disney wants to give it to me, I'd gratefully accept. :)**

Ahsoka Tano was what her master would have called "brooding." The funeral of her friend and mentor Taria Damsin had been earlier that day. She'd watched as her teacher's body had been consigned to flame, then stood silently, watching as her physical remnants drifted upwards into the heavens. She'd stood next to Master Kenobi, and though his eyes had been dry, the waves of grief emanating from him and his stiff body language had spoken more than any words could have. Anakin being away on Allanteen VI overseeing repairs to the ships, she'd been at a loose end afterwards. She'd wandered around aimlessly for a while, before finding herself in the senior level dojo-exactly where she'd learned so much from Taria. She stood at the balcony rail, looking down on the empty floor below, remembering their light-hearted sparring matches until she was interrupted by a polite cough. Spinning around, Ahsoka saw Master Obi-Wan Kenobi standing in the doorway.

"Oh! Master!" she greeted him. "I didn't see you there."

"Apparently not," was the sardonic response. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not-not at all," she replied. They stood in silence for a few moments.

"Master?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"About Master Damsin…" she said.

"Taria Damsin was a good friend," he said. "We grew up together. I learned much from her."

"Is it wrong for me to miss her?" she asked. He sighed, didn't answer for a few moments.

"Of course not, Ahsoka. I miss her as well. But I do not grieve. I rejoice in our friendship, and though I wish we could have had more time together, I accept that she had to die, and am glad that she is now beyond pain, fear, or worry."

They stood together, bathing in the light of the Force.

"If you want," the senior Jedi began, "I could teach you a few moves with that extra 'saber of yours."

"Aren't you supposed to be on meditative leave?"

"Of course I am," he replied, bland sincerity and amusement rippling through the Force. "But the prohibition was only against hard work. You won't be able to make me work hard."

Ahsoka's face fell, even though she knew it was probably honest.

"But you're welcome to try," he added, the Force brightening with humor and a sudden challenge. She grinned ferociously.

"You're on, Master."

He smirked, took off his cloak, folded it neatly, and draped it off the balcony rail, before Force-leaping into the air, turning a flip, and landing gently as a snowflake. Ahsoka followed, but couldn't manage to land quite so lightly.

He activated his own lightsaber and held it easily in one hand. She activated her own pair of sabers and dropped into a battle crouch.

"Now, swing at me."

She did so, and they slipped into a vicious, elegant duel, green and blue light spilling around the combatants in a nimbus of ferocious skill before one of her 'sabers clattered out of her hand and onto the floor, knocked down by a lightning-quick motion of Obi-Wan's weapon.

"You're swinging too widely," he admonished her. "You want to keep all of your moves tucked in close to your body. Elaborate flourishes will not only leave you open, but are also a waste of energy. Here, watch me."

So saying, Obi-Wan used the Force to activate a dozen remotes, then tossed the control mechanism to Ahsoka. She had them dive-bomb the Master, launching blasts from all angles almost simultaneously. He smoothly deflected every one, never moving his weapon more than necessary, using the minimum amount of effort. After a minute or so, she deactivated the remotes and was impressed to see he wasn't sweating or breathing hard at all.

"You see?" he asked. "You use the minimum amount of energy necessary, which will keep you going for longer than if you go all out, especially if you're facing a stronger opponent."

"What if I'm using two blades?"

"_Especially _if you're using two blades. You're carrying sabers in both hands, so you want to conserve energy as much as possible. Style, not substance. For example, when Dooku beat me at Geonosis, he cut me lightly on the shoulder and thigh. They weren't deep or powerful-my limbs are still attached, thankfully-but they were enough to stop me. Do you see?"

Ahsoka nodded, fascinated. She remembered his making a comment that he had practiced Jar'Kai for a while as a Padawan himself.

"If I am facing a much more powerful opponent than myself, I don't want to waste energy meeting them strength-to-strength. In fact, fighting force with force is never a good idea."

Ahsoka understood what he was saying but, true to her character, couldn't resist a sarcastic remark.

"So how did we fight the Sith, if we couldn't use the Force?" she teased impudently, before freezing. She could get away with sarcasm to Anakin, but Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero-worshipped by every youngling, Padawan, and Initiate in the Temple, was different.

"We listened to those wiser than us when they had advice to give," he replied, one corner of his beard twitching upwards. Oh. Apparently not that different from her Master, then.

"I did train him, you know," he said, doing that irritating Jedi Master thing where they read your minds without even trying to.

"Speaking of which, I'm sure he's been using his favorite Djem So on you when you spar?"

"All the time," she replied. He smiled.

"Now, I could give you some tips about how to defeat a Djem So-using opponent. Of course, it would be only for any generic warrior using brute strength that you run into."

"Of course," she agreed.

"And I absolutely will not be found teaching my former apprentice's Padawan the best ways to disarm him and several of his week points."

"Absolutely not."

"And there is no way that you would ever use those moves on him."

"No way," she smiled.

"Now pick up your 'saber, and we'll begin," he told her. She smiled, and they did.

For the next week, as Anakin tinkered with his machines, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka met once a day and, true to his character, he proved willing to listen to her opinions and ideas, just as she learned from him. He gave advice. She learned. They laughed. She gave advice. He learned. They practiced.

And so they moved on.

**Well, there we go. Not my best story, but I quite enjoy writing Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and their relationship. This story is set slightly before the wonderful ruth baulding's story Armistice, and was created because of mentions made in her story. If you haven't read her work yet, go over to her page and check out her works. Before you do that, though, please leave a review. Thank you! **


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